VCA Sand Lake Animal Hospital

Typically, I do not take the time to post online reviews. I am creating this review specifically to inform other pet owners of my devastating loss at the hands of Dr. Robert Timan from VCA Animal Hospital. My hope is that in sharing this information, it can and will help pet owners in making an informed decision when choosing a caring, knowledgeable veterinarian for their beloved pet. One who will work to uphold & carry out standards of optimal veterinary care based on each pet’s individual needs, while striving to provide safe, efficacious care to our beloved pets during each and every encounter. Dr. Robert Timan had been the primary veterinarian for my beloved, special needs rescue cat of 10 years, Gabriel, for several years. Therefore, Dr. Timan was aware of Gabriel’s overall health as well as his multiple active diagnoses, including a potentially fatal heart murmur. In August, 2022, Dr. Timan saw Gabriel for seemingly common, straightforward health concerns (environmental allergies & ear infection). Gabriel had been seen & successfully treated for these exact concerns by an out-of-state vet earlier in the year. This alternate vet had skillfully chosen & safely administered two injections, with optimal results & no adverse effects. The 1st injection was a general antibiotic. The 2nd (more significant) injection was a corticosteroid called Depo Medrol. The out-of-state vet calculated a safe dose for Gabriel (b/o his cardiovascular condition) at 0.25 mL IM. This holds great significance, as it is considered common knowledge by many in the veterinary field that Depo Medrol “should be used with caution in pets, especially cats, predisposed to… heart disease… (Gollakner).” Should basic safety precautions had been looked into prior to med administration, which would have advised heightened care & consideration in determining dosing for cats with cardiovascular conditions, such as Gabriel, my baby would be alive today. The alternate vet who initially chose the two meds & appropriate dosing in consideration with Gabriel’s heart murmur, provided safe, efficacious care, as it should have been. A highly effective, low-risk dose was given, that was less than even the recommended dosing range for veterinary use of Depo Medrol in cats (a 5 mg dose vs. a dose w/in the standard range of 10-20 mg). Dr. Timan, instead chose to increase Gabriel’s dose to the maximum of 20 mg (4x that administered by the previous vet). Why? Dr. Timan did not seem to have much for answers when clarification was requested in several areas. However, Dr. Timan's medical documentation regarding Gabriel (which had coincidently disappeared from my VCA app the morning following Gabriel’s death & had to be requested), provides some disturbing insights. The day following Gabriel's injections, documentation by Dr. Timan notes that “Gabriel was brought in for acute respiratory distress. He was seen yesterday for allergic otitis & was given Depo Medrol & Convenia injections.” Gabriel was given supplemental oxygen, & x-rays were taken of his chest. These x-rays showed severe fluid buildup in both lungs, consistent with pulmonary edema from CHF. Dr. Timan himself makes the connection: "Gabriel had been given Depo Medrol yesterday, which may have triggered acute heart failure." My Gabriel lay for 4 hours, unable to independently breathe, “dry-drowning,” as both of his lungs had filled with fluid, resulting from the sudden inability of his heart to pump efficiently & prevent the accumulation of fluid within the lungs. These conditions do not occur suddenly or quickly, as Dr. Timan attempted to argue, as my cat lay dying. Nor do they occur by mere coincidence or chance from the administered injections, as was his other claim. When asked why only weeks earlier, Gabriel had been successfully treated by another vet for the same concerns, injected with the same meds, & had no adverse effects, Dr. Timan coldly informed me I would need to speak to a cardiologist. The life of my beloved, 10-year companion was taken because of Dr. Timan’s careless, negligent actions.

posted: 10/01/2022

The staff was able to work my cat, Ariel in on the same day. The entire staff was awesome and Dr Brooke Malin explained in detail, her findings. I was contacted the next day as a follow-up. They truly care about their furry clients.

posted: 05/13/2023

words cannot describe how angry i am about my visit. we had magee come in to check my cat for health problems. at first we believed it was constipation, the only thing she did right was confirm my cat wasn’t. magee barely checked the eyes, mouth and etc. said it was only behavioral and wasn’t that big of a deal. but i knew my cat was not being behavioral because of us installing a fireplace. also kept brushing off my questions, barely listened to them or let alone barley let me finish the question before saying over and over again it wasn’t constipation. so we went into a different vet clinic. turns out she had a severe UTI with crystals in her urine, on top of that has a very bad infection on the top of the gums, which shocked me very much because we had just come to VCA weeks prior. so it’s unbelievable it wasn’t seen before then. very disappointed about the treatment of my cat and knowing that she was in pain for that long is very heartbreaking for me.

posted: 02/22/2023

Such an amazing caring staff! The Drs are always willing to take the time to answer questions.

posted: 07/03/2023

I cannot say enough about the wonderful care that the Drs and techs take with their patients at this establishment. My two cats received the best care that they have ever had here. With complicated and unexpected health problems, they were able to see them the day of and they were spot on with their diagnoses without a lot of unneeded tests. The cost of care is also much lower than previous vets that we have seen, but the most important thing is that they truly care about their 'petients' well being and quality of life. We received a handwritten, heartfelt card from our Dr and our technician after our kitty passed away which was unexpected and meant the world to us. Thank you specifically to Dr Timan for everything he has done to help our girls end of life care, Rachel for her genuine heart and help with our girls, Emily for being so understanding and knowledgable. Truly, we are beyond grateful and would recommend this Animal Hospital to anyone and everyone.

posted: 12/01/2022